DACA: House GOP leaders promise vote on conservative bill

The commitment comes as GOP leadership has been squeezed by frustrated Republican members from both sides of the ideological spectrum. Moderate Republicans are as few as five GOP signatures away from forcing a series of votes on the House floor to save the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, including the conservative bill and a bipartisan proposal that is the one almost guaranteed to prevail instead under that plan.

Goodlatte’s proposal would have just three-year renewals of permits like those under DACA, which protected young undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children, with no path to citizenship for those immigrants in exchange for a host of aggressive anti-illegal immigration measures as well as steep cuts to legal immigration. Though there may be further changes to the bill, it remains the most aggressive and farthest to the right of any legislative proposal on the issue.

McCarthy was responding to fresh comments from Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, who earlier Thursday told reporters as he left a Freedom Caucus meeting that the group had spoken by phone with House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, and it was clear the House would not be able to pass the farm bill without immigration movement.

“At this point there is no deal to be made,” Meadows told reporters as he emerged. “For us, immigration and farm bill go together. … Our caucus was very supportive of continuing conversations with leadership, but at this point there aren’t enough votes for the farm bill.”

Similarly, the leader of the moderate effort to force the DACA vote, California Rep. Jeff Denham, said his group was still full steam ahead — though he declined to directly answer whether leadership had made a commitment or promise to his side of the equation about a path forward.

“Until we have an agreement on a piece of legislation, I think it’s important to continue the discharge,” Denham said, a reference to the procedural motion used to force the vote on DACA called a “discharge petition.” That method requires a majority of the House of Representatives to sign the petition in order to bypass the typical procedure of a bill going through committee or a host of other legislative roadblocks that GOP leadership could use to stop it.

“I think the discharge petition has gotten a great deal of attention not only from the administration but also from House leadership and now it’s put us in a good spot to be able to find a solution not only between all the different caucuses but between the two parties,” Deham said.

As it tries to find a way forward, Republican leadership is making a pitch to get in front of the brewing storm, according to two sources with direct knowledge.

Their offer, according to the sources, is to hold a vote on the hardline measure but structure it in a way that allows moderates a fair vote on a proposal of their choice, as well.

It’s unclear, though, if the plan will work and come together in time to save the farm bill that leadership is pushing to pass on Friday.

“We’re going forward with the farm bill,” Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican, said as he left the meeting after McCarthy, saying he still expected it to pass Friday. “We’ve got some issues that we’re continuing to resolve, that’s the nature of the legislative process.”

Still, the ultimate path for any immigration legislation, even if it were to pass the House, was unresolved. The White House views the House situation as a mess for the chamber’s GOP leadership to clean up, and there remains to be serious negotiations regarding a DACA bill that could not only pass the House, but also the Senate and get signed by the President.